Getting The Right Style Of Bike For You

Choosing a bike depends on what type of riding you want to do and, most of the time, it's for general leisure use such as going out with the family round the reservoirs and disused railway lines.

Below, we have listed the types of bikes available and what they are used for :-

Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes or All Terrain Bikes (ATBs) come in various types. This type of bike is probably the most common of bikes as they are a type of bike that can go on or off road through tracks and trails. They usually have at least 18 gears, knobbly tyres and some now have suspension.

The bikes with no suspension are ideal for more road or hard surface use. You can take them off road but they will shake your wrists and arms. A lot of people would use this bike if they wanted to go to work on it and is only a short distance but they could go down a track if they wanted to.

Full suspension bikes have springs front and back and are used more for off roading as they will take the shock out of all the bumps. To use this bike on the road is not ideal as it is heavier and you loose a lot of power through the rear suspension.

Front suspension bikes, or hard tails, are the most popular type of cycles as they are for use in all aspects of cycling - going round resevoirs or tracks does not shake you to bits and, when on the road, all your pedal power drives the bike forward.

This type of cycle also comes in a comfort style which means that it will have an adjustable handle bar stem so you can sit up more; semi-slick tyres for less resistance on the road, and sometimes a suspension seat post for extra comfort.

You can get a full range of accessories for all the types of mountain bikes e.g. mudguards; lights; locks; bottles etc.; Please contact us if you need any accessories.

B.M.X. Bikes

The BMX type of bike is more popular with children than adults. They were very popular in the 1980's and have become very popular again today. They are great for kids because they have no gears; no suspension, and stronger frames and wheels so there is less for them to break. GREAT! Most of these bikes are one size only and have only a 20" wheel. There are a couple of 24" wheel versions but these are not so popular.

To simplify, there are two types of BMX - race or freestyle.

Race-type BMX's have no gyro; no pegs; they're usually lighter and some are made of alloy.

P.S. a gyro means that you can spin the handlebars round in a circle without the cables getting tangles up and pegs are things you stick on wheel axles so that you can do tricks on them.

Some people like to call these track/trail bikes and these are usually heavier because they are not alloy. The first price point in a range of smaller BMS's don't have these bits.

Freestyle or street and dirt BMX's have gyros and stunt pegs, and are usually heavier but they are a stronger frame. They also have stronger wheels. Treaded tyres are used on dirt and street slicker tyres are used on ramps and streets. You can change tyres on different bikes. This type of BMX is the most popular.

Hybrid / Urban Bikes

The hybrid or urban style of cycle is growing in popularity. They come with 700c wheels which are larger than on mountain bikes. A lot of people are using this type of bike to ride to work or commute on because it has a wide range of gears and can come fully equipped with mudguards and rear pannier carrier. Because of the larger wheel and bigger frames, you can travel at a quicker speed with less effort compared to mountain bikes.

There are two types in this range : the sports hybrid which has no mudguards and non-adjustable stem or the fully equipped. The cycles have also been made more comfortable with adjustable handlebar stems, suspension forks and suspension seat posts.

These cycles can also be used on light tracks or old railway lines. Fields and heavy off road use is out. It is mostly adults who select this kind of cycle as children still like their mountain bikes and BMX's.